October song Read Online Free PDF Page A

pulled the bench wagon on its way, the cart a-creakin’ and swayin’ toward a wedding ceremony
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    long after the cloud of dust settled a bit — Katie stepped back into her car. She was ready now to attempt the turn in the road. Jah, she would try.
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    . . as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.
    — 2 Peter 1:19
    They’d spent nearly all day at their middle son’s wedding, eating and talking with their extended family, having themselves a wonderful-gut time over at Gracie’s parents’ farm. Eli and his bride made a nice couple, they did, and Rebecca Lapp was right happy ‘bout the match. Another daughter-in-law to sew and quilt with — cook and can with, too. And from what she knew of Gracie, well, this new addition to the family just might be an up-‘n’-coming storyteller in the hollow.
    As for Eli’s marriage, movin’ out of the house meant that son Benjamin, who would someday inherit the family farm, was the only one left to help shoulder the farming chores along with Samuel. And by the look of things the pairing up of
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    young couples that had gone on at Eli and Gracie’s wedding dinner well, Rebecca could only hope that Ben had found himself matched up with a nice girl for the day. Surely one of their own Plain girls would catch his eye, even though he’d suffered heartache after being’ ditched by his longtime girlfriend last year. Rebecca had been cautious, hadn’t questioned Ben ‘bout the rumors flying round about a fancy English girl. If any of the tongue-waggin’ was even true.
    But Eli’s wedding and poor jilted Benjamin weren’t the only things on Rebecca’s mind. Her thoughts were just a-churnin’ as she stepped out of the carriage and made her way into the house while her husband unhitched O1’ Molasses and led the driving horse off to the barn. She thought hard ‘bout the invitation that had
    come in the mail a while back from their shunned daughter, Katie, of all
    things.
    Seemed Katie and her Mennonite husband, Daniel Fisher, wanted to extend the hand of fellowship ‘cross forbidden lines, inviting Samuel and her to dinner.Call anytime,Katie had written at the bottom of the note.
    Rebeccahadused a public pay phone
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    now and then to make contact with her girl. Hadn’t felt all too guilty ‘bout doin’ so, what with Bishop Beiler easing up some on one of the harshest shunnings in these parts. ‘Course, she always used her time on the telephone wisely, mindful to nudge her daughter toward repentance and a quick return to her baptismal vow. Once or twice a month she talked to Katie. No more. Not like it oughta be with your one and only daughter, her being’ raised in an Old Order household and all. These years of Katie’s young adulthood oughta be spent enioyin’ frequent quiltings and work frolics. Together with her mamma, talking face-to-face. But then, Rebecca believed her adopted daughter had been cut out of a different dye lot of life’s fabric. Sure seemed so anyway.
    By the time Samuel came wanderin’ into the kitchen, after hanging up his coat and dropping his for-gut shoes in the utility room, Rebecca had already set the table and put out a light supper of chicken salad and honey oatmeal bread for sandwiches, and white fruit salad.made with unflavored gelatin, cold fruit juice, mayonnaise, whipping cream, icing sugar, pineapple slices, white cherries, and chopped nuts. She
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    wanted to bring up Katie’s invitation in the worst way, but she was sure Samuel wouldn’t budge one little inch ‘bout putting his feet under the table of a shunned — and Mennonite — son-in-law.
    “Glad for an early supper,” Samuel said, pulling out a chair to sit down. “Cows need milkin’ soon.”
    Her husband’s comment left things wide open for her to say something ‘bout Benjamin, though she was fairly certain their youngest son wouldn’t be home just now — nor anytime soon — on account of the